LW Johnny Gaudreau (2011, 104th overall, Calgary) -"Gaudreaumania III: Live On PPV"

[HockeyGuy1975]

I think the issue here is that Gaudreau, as Johnny Hockey, is playing hockey... but everybody else isn't. They're playing this ugly hockey-like sport on ice. So if the other guys start to play hockey, then Gaudreau will play hockey with them, and obviously he'll rip it up... because he's Johnny Hockey. But otherwise, you won't see it on the scoresheet, because it's not hockey, and Gaudreau playing hockey would only show up on hockey scoresheets, which they are not using. and Johnny Hockey refuses to play anything other than hockey. You dig?

This thread is one of best examples of how immaturity and jealousy overruns HFBoards. I mean, look at this comment ^ -- someone actually took the time out of their human life to write such nonsense.

 

[Devonator]

Flame fans are just going to have to realize they have hyped another player that simply is not ever going to be Johnny Superstar for them....he is simply to tiny for a long successful career...or a short career for that matter...unless he gets seriously bulked up, he will just be a little boy playing along men...sorry flame fans but that is reality...at least you have Monohan who is the real deal and Bennett eventually.....

 

[MonaHan Solo]

3 games in and people are already saying he's a bust.

Is this the fastest of all time that someone has written off a prospect?

You guys just look at the stat line and see he doesn't have any points and suddenly, he's a bust. You guys don't factor in that Hartley is trying to ease him in to the NHL, playing 10-12 minutes a game. You just wait. Johnny will be good soon.

 

[Spade]

Yes, he scored a lot his first 9 games, but the remainder of the season he got creamed. He played the easiest minutes with decent linemates but got out shot by a shocking amount. It was apparant he needed to go down to the ahl or back to OHL. His corsirel was almost the worst on a bottom feeder. That is not good

As much as people rip on eberle for poor defensive play, he's never had as poor of a corsirel as Monahan ever.

So you're saying that if Draisaitl scored 9 points and 6 goals in 9 games to open the season you would send him down to juniors?

Monahan played his way onto the team. Once we passed that 9 game mark there was no turning back, the contract gets a year taken off and he's a year closer to FA. If that's the case anyways, why send him back just to let him play in juniors with a team that wasn't making the playoffs?

With the NHL team, he gets a year to work on his all-around game against true blue NHLers, rather than dominate against lesser competition. He also gets access to the best trainers, the best video crew, the best coaches, and the best facilities that the Flames could possibly offer. The Flames obviously felt that those positives outweighed anything he'd gain if he was sent down in December or January.

The only mistake last year was not sending him to the WJCs. Otherwise, every decision made regarding his development was calculated and thought out according to the situation at the time. You can't tell me that a player who played as well as he did those first 9 games didn't deserve to be here. Hindsight is 20/20 and at the time he looked like he would be a contender for Rookie of the Year, which is pretty darn close to NHL-ready.

Regarding Gaudreau, I think he looks good, if a little tentative. I'd give him a few more games to work himself out and if he doesn't the Baby Flames could use a guy like him. It's not really a surprise or a disappointment, the reality is that the NHL is a whole different game from the NCAA and everyone is talented, no matter how badly some players are pooped on online. We have the kind of depth now that sending him down won't hurt us (although considering the team we have, nothing else hurts us regardless) and he'll benefit from the extended development time just like every other player before him.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Flame fans are just going to have to realize they have hyped another player that simply is not ever going to be Johnny Superstar for them....he is simply to tiny for a long successful career...or a short career for that matter...unless he gets seriously bulked up, he will just be a little boy playing along men...sorry flame fans but that is reality...at least you have Monohan who is the real deal and Bennett eventually.....

They should cut him and let him play in Tampa with a former #1 overall pick.

 

[Aceboogie]

So you're saying that if Draisaitl scored 9 points and 6 goals in 9 games to open the season you would send him down to juniors?

Monahan played his way onto the team. Once we passed that 9 game mark there was no turning back, the contract gets a year taken off and he's a year closer to FA. If that's the case anyways, why send him back just to let him play in juniors with a team that wasn't making the playoffs?

With the NHL team, he gets a year to work on his all-around game against true blue NHLers, rather than dominate against lesser competition. He also gets access to the best trainers, the best video crew, the best coaches, and the best facilities that the Flames could possibly offer. The Flames obviously felt that those positives outweighed anything he'd gain if he was sent down in December or January.

The only mistake last year was not sending him to the WJCs. Otherwise, every decision made regarding his development was calculated and thought out according to the situation at the time. You can't tell me that a player who played as well as he did those first 9 games didn't deserve to be here. Hindsight is 20/20 and at the time he looked like he would be a contender for Rookie of the Year, which is pretty darn close to NHL-ready.

Regarding Gaudreau, I think he looks good, if a little tentative. I'd give him a few more games to work himself out and if he doesn't the Baby Flames could use a guy like him. It's not really a surprise or a disappointment, the reality is that the NHL is a whole different game from the NCAA and everyone is talented, no matter how badly some players are pooped on online. We have the kind of depth now that sending him down won't hurt us (although considering the team we have, nothing else hurts us regardless) and he'll benefit from the extended development time just like every other player before him.

You have to keep the guy up. But if Draisaitl started to get outplayed by a wide margin I'd send him back and cut my losses. Even if a year was burned off elc. No use keeping a player up who is in completely over their head.

JG is 165 pounds and looks even smaller out there. He needs to bulk up and learn pro hockey. Why keep him up when he's obviously not ready? He obviously wants to be a flashy offensive player, so if he's not able to do that you ruin his confidence. You'd think they'd learn from the bartschi mistakes to develop a player confidence and not just throw a player into the NHL because a flashy preseason or brief NHL stint the year before

 

[DayTripper]

Gaudreau's Corsi is the highest among all Flames forwards who have played all 3 games, so he must be pretty good, huh?

Seriously though, don't forget that he's probably still fighting the flu. I'd give him a few more games and if he still hasn't adapted, send him down to the AHL.

 

[Spade]

You have to keep the guy up. But if Draisaitl started to get outplayed by a wide margin I'd send him back and cut my losses. Even if a year was burned off elc. No use keeping a player up who is in completely over their head.

JG is 165 pounds and looks even smaller out there. He needs to bulk up and learn pro hockey. Why keep him up when he's obviously not ready? He obviously wants to be a flashy offensive player, so if he's not able to do that you ruin his confidence. You'd think they'd learn from the bartschi mistakes to develop a player confidence and not just throw a player into the NHL because a flashy preseason or brief NHL stint the year before

But Draisaitl would be molded by the coaches he'll be playing for. Sending him back to a junior team that lacks the same level of funding and is in shambles organizationally is not an easy decision to make. At the very least, having him in the NHL gives him the required time and coaching to learn the pro game than if he were dominating in juniors, which looks nice but won't help in transitioning to the pro game.

I agree Johnny needs to learn the pro game, but I'm not sure how much bigger you want him to get. He's never going to be 6'2 and 200 pounds, so why make him something he's not? His strengths are going to be reliant on his mobility and hockey sense, so asking him to bulk up unnecessarily is only going to make him less flexible and shifty. He isn't built like Marty St. Louis and he doesn't play like Nathan Gerbe who are both physical specimens, so why is he expected to be built like either of those two players?

 

[HanSolo]

Flame fans deserve it they have shoved Johnny hockey down our throats as the next great thing in hockey. Johnny Omark at best.

Cool your jets man. It wasn't long ago that Justin Schultz was being shoved down our throats as a Karlsson lite and uh wasn't RNH supposed to be joining the likes of the Tavares', Stamkos', and Giroux's of the league by now? Leafs fans did it with Kadri, Gardiner, Rielly, and several others. Sens fans did it with Karlsson, Silfverberg, Zibanejad. Oil fans did it with their boys. The Jets are doing it with Trouba. It's Calgary's turn to join the annual Canadian prospect over hyping.

 

[Random Forest]

Lol, this is a brutal example of some awful, awful confirmation bias.

Gaudreau hasn't torn it up in his first three games in the league? I WAS RIGHT, HE'S TOO SMALL!

Get a grip, people. He's looked good. Just as good as most other highly touted rookies this year.

 

[HanSolo]

This thread is one of best examples of how immaturity and jealousy overruns HFBoards. I mean, look at this comment ^ -- someone actually took the time out of their human life to write such nonsense.

Why do you people assume it's jealousy? I've been called jealous at least 3 times for having adverse reactions to overzealous statements about the kid. I've got Getzlaf and Perry to watch in Anaheim along with a myriad of other great young kids and prospects to enjoy. Would I mind adding a kid like Gaudreau into that mix? Certainly not. But almost every team has a gem or two or more, and by this "jealousy" logic, it must mean everyone is jealous of almost every team in the league.

And while we're on the subject of immaturity, the whole "you have a negative reaction to something I like so you must be jealous" is textbook middleschoolgirl cattiness. When you say that it sounds like a girl (or for the sake of not sounding sexist, guy) reacting to someone saying they don't like Justin Bieber. It can't be because you think his music sucks, he has a terrible attitude and personality, and he's recently being a massive idiot driving while intoxicated putting lives at risk. No. The only logical explanation is you must be jealous. It's the same thing here. We can't possibly be simply annoyed at the over hype. We can't possibly be apprehensive that a player of his size might not be able to handle the NHL, and thus want to wait and see how he does before we jump on the train. God forbid we even display hesitation with the mindset of not all prospects who dominate the junior or college level come up to the NHL to have good careers. That would be preposterous, right? If we're not showering him with affection, we clearly must be, and can only be, jealous.

If you want to combat negativity, I'd pick a different retort than "you're just jealous". Nobody is gonna take it seriously.

Lol, this is a brutal example of some awful, awful confirmation bias.

Gaudreau hasn't torn it up in his first three games in the league? I WAS RIGHT, HE'S TOO SMALL!

Get a grip, people. He's looked good. Just as good as most other highly touted rookies this year.

Just to make it clear, I haven't made a decision one way or the other whether or not he's busted or arrived. As any prediction of the sort is premature and doesn't have enough of a sample.

 

[DayTripper]

Lol, this is a brutal example of some awful, awful confirmation bias.

Gaudreau hasn't torn it up in his first three games in the league? I WAS RIGHT, HE'S TOO SMALL!

Get a grip, people. He's looked good. Just as good as most other highly touted rookies this year.

He hasn't looked good. Part of it may be the flu, but while he looked good in the pre-season, he's been a non-factor in the regular season so far.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Flame fans are just going to have to realize they have hyped another player that simply is not ever going to be Johnny Superstar for them....he is simply to tiny for a long successful career...or a short career for that matter...unless he gets seriously bulked up, he will just be a little boy playing along men...sorry flame fans but that is reality...at least you have Monohan who is the real deal and Bennett eventually.....

It's three games into the season. It's a little early to write him off no? St. Louis didn't break out until his fifth full pro season.

 

[Random Forest]

He hasn't looked good. Part of it may be the flu, but while he looked good in the pre-season, he's been a non-factor in the regular season so far.

It depends on your expectations. If you expected him to come out flying, he hasn't looked good. If you expected him to start off showing flashes of offensive potential while not being taken advantage of, then he has.

I'm as high on him as anybody out there, but I expected the latter. I have not been disappointed by him at all.

 

[DL44]

He hasn't looked good. Part of it may be the flu, but while he looked good in the pre-season, he's been a non-factor in the regular season so far.

Well you are flat out wrong.

He looked very good and was Calgary's most dangerous player on opening night... In the second half of the third period...

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Well you are flat out wrong.

He looked very good and was Calgary's most dangerous player on opening night... In the second half of the third period...

So a 10 minute window in which he played 3?

There are stupid arguments being made on both ends and it's hilarious to read.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Lol, this is a brutal example of some awful, awful confirmation bias.

Gaudreau hasn't torn it up in his first three games in the league? I WAS RIGHT, HE'S TOO SMALL!

Get a grip, people. He's looked good. Just as good as most other highly touted rookies this year.

Bingo. There are a lot of "fans" who can't wait to put the kid down.

He's been very good at times, it just hasn't materialized on the scoresheet. He's been making smart plays all over the ice.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Gaudreau looked really dangerous in the Vancouver game, just didn't translate to points.

Last two games he hasn't been as noticeable. Some people suspect he also has the flu that is going around the Flames locker room. There is no confirmation of that though.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

This thread is one of best examples of how immaturity and jealousy overruns HFBoards. I mean, look at this comment ^ -- someone actually took the time out of their human life to write such nonsense.

That's a very unGaudreau thing for you to say. I'm disappointed, HockeyGuy1975.

 

[Devonator]

This thread is one of best examples of how immaturity and jealousy overruns HFBoards. I mean, look at this comment ^ -- someone actually took the time out of their human life to write such nonsense.

Jealously?? Are you kidding me...we have heard nothing but obnoxious flame fans pretending like this kid is going to a super duper star for sure the last 5 months...it isn't jealously but nausea from the rest of us who think it is likely that this little boy is simply far to small to ever make much of a long term impact in the NHL...sure he might do something in the short term but quit acting like he is going to something super amazing...he is to much of a midget for a long term career but I am sure he will burn it up in the minors for you one day!

 

[vcanuck]

Johnny Frodo will be sent back down soon.

 

[Random Forest]

Jealously?? Are you kidding me...we have heard nothing but obnoxious flame fans pretending like this kid is going to a super duper star for sure the last 5 months...it isn't jealously but nausea from the rest of us who think it is likely that this little boy is simply far to small to ever make much of a long term impact in the NHL...sure he might do something in the short term but quit acting like he is going to something super amazing...he is to much of a midget for a long term career but I am sure he will burn it up in the minors for you one day!

How is making such definitive statements such as the bolded any different than the obnoxious fans you are bemoaning?

Saying he is going to be a minor league star is no different than those (few) fans who say he will be an NHL superstar.

 

[Kranix]

Jealously?? Are you kidding me...we have heard nothing but obnoxious flame fans pretending like this kid is going to a super duper star for sure the last 5 months...it isn't jealously but nausea from the rest of us who think it is likely that this little boy is simply far to small to ever make much of a long term impact in the NHL...sure he might do something in the short term but quit acting like he is going to something super amazing...he is to much of a midget for a long term career but I am sure he will burn it up in the minors for you one day!

Our aim, by the way, was merely to give you fine people some tidings about a new hockey player. We wanted to share a nice story about this little guy. I think I can speak for the Gaudreau noticers in saying that we are very, very sorry to have bothered you about this future hall of famer.

 

[Android 16]

Why isn't this kid in the AHL right now..

 

[Roof Daddy]

To be honest, while I thought he played all right I wasn't as impressed as others seem to be.
A very good pick up for a fourth round pick. But at his age not really more impressive than a lot of other guys. Good offensively but not that strong defenisively or on the boards. I think the big story is his size. Not many players that small can make it and produce. He looks like he will be one of those that definitely can.

Again, as a rival fan as well (Oil), I agree the skillset is fantastic, but the Pat Kane ceiling is far out of reach IMO, except he is even smaller than him (thus will struggle a bit more). Tyler Ennis is a much more realistic comparison.